The following relates generally to path planning, and more specifically to determining path plans and access point switching plans for robotic devices. Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, data, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple devices by sharing the available system resources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems. Multiple-access wireless communication systems may include multiple geographically overlapping networks employing multiple radio access technologies (RATs).
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple robotic devices and providing network access to multiple local access points. Each base station and access point has a coverage range accessible to network-connected devices within the coverage range. In some settings, such as in indoor environments, for example, a WiFi network, or some other radio frequency network may be deployed throughout at least a portion of the indoor environment. In such a system, there may be multiple WiFi access points, placed at specific locations in the indoor environment. In addition, there may also be small cells deployed providing local access points to one or more multiple-access wireless communication systems.
It may be important for a mobile robotic device to maintain a defined level of network connectivity. For example, telepresence robots are typically dependent on a reliable network connection for the transmission and receipt of audio streams and video streams, and for the receipt of control signals from a remote operator. Loss of network connectivity may result in a loss of operator control over the robot, dropped audio or video transmissions, or delayed audio or video transmission. In the absence of network connectivity, these situations may be unrecoverable for certain robots and result in these robots requiring local assistance, special recovery programming, or both. Thus, it may be desirable to use improved methods and systems for path planning, access point switching planning, autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, self-localization, and the like.